Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Chicago Bears: Full Report Card Grades for Tampa Bay
It wasn't a blown fourth-quarter lead, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers let another one get away just the same, falling to the Chicago Bears 21-13 at Soldier Field on Sunday.
Despite a strong effort from the defense that included three sacks and a first-half shutout, Lovie Smith's victory bid in his return to Chicago was ruined by a disastrous third quarter that saw the Bucs turn the ball over three times and allow 21 unanswered points to the home team.
The Bucs outgained the Bears 367-204 on offense, but a minus-3 turnover ratio helped drop the Bucs to 2-9 on the season.
Josh McCown completed 24 of his 48 passes for a season-high 341 yards and a touchdown, but two interceptions and a lost fumble came at the worst possible times, keeping the Bucs off the scoreboard and putting the Bears in position to add to it themselves. The Bucs managed just 66 yards on the ground, averaging a meager three yards per carry.
Mike Evans caught his eighth touchdown of the season, but veterans Vincent Jackson and Louis Murphy led the way for Tampa Bay in receiving, both going over 100 yards on the afternoon.
For the Bears, Jay Cutler threw for just 130 yards and a touchdown, while Matt Forte totaled 112 yards and two scores on 28 touches. Chicago's formidable tandem of receivers, Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery, combined for just six catches for 55 yards and a touchdown.
The Bucs converted 41 percent of their third-down attempts but kept their lead as the most penalized team in the NFL, committing nine infractions for 87 yards.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Bucs fans were encouraged by Josh McCown's mistake-free performance last week, but they were forced to come back down to earth Sunday.
McCown threw for 341 yards, but three awful turnovers were easily the biggest factor in the game's outcome. The former Chicago quarterback looked uncomfortable all day, sailing throws and locking onto receivers, nearly throwing at least two more interceptions.
Plain and simple, McCown's play cost the Bucs dearly at the most inopportune times, and his overall performance in between his biggest mistakes wasn't nearly enough to overcome.
Grade: F
Running Back
2 of 10
Same story, different week for the Tampa Bay backfield. Running room continues to be hard to come by for this group, as the Bucs offensive line keeps struggling to control the line of scrimmage.
Doug Martin got the start after missing the past three weeks, but the former Pro Bowler gained just 27 yards on 11 carries. Charles Sims fared a little better, rushing for 22 yards on six carries and adding 11 yards on two receptions, while Bobby Rainey tallied 21 yards on just five touches.
Another weak box score from this unit, but it's hard to blame them because of the lack of support up front.
Grade: C-
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
Another strong week from the receiving corps, and it wasn't all Mike Evans this time.
Evans did haul in his eighth touchdown of the season—and his sixth in the past four games—but he was otherwise outdone on the stat sheet by his counterparts. Both Vincent Jackson and Louis Murphy eclipsed the century mark, going for 117 and 113 yards, respectively. Evans ended the game with 47 yards on three catches, but he could have had more if not for multiple drops.
The tight ends combined for four catches and 31 yards, but they were open down the seams on multiple occasions, with Josh McCown failing to take advantage.
This week proved that Jackson can still be relied on as a No. 1 target, while Murphy can produce from the slot if needed.
Grade: B+
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
This unit regressed after a fairly solid outing last week, failing to execute in either the run game or in pass protection.
The Bucs gave up five sacks, forcing Josh McCown to flee the pocket or throw off of his back foot far too often, allowing their quarterback to take multiple big hits. On the ground, Tampa Bay averaged just three yards per carry, as the offensive line continues to struggle with winning the line of scrimmage and creating space for their backs to make plays.
Tampa Bay replaced four of their five starters from last year, and they might have to do it again if this kind of play keeps up.
Grade: F
Defensive Line
5 of 10
It was quite the dominant effort from last week, but Tampa Bay's front four put together another strong performance on Sunday.
Though all three of their sacks came on a single drive, one of them came with a huge forced fumble by Gerald McCoy that led to the Bucs' only touchdown of the game. Waiver-wire pickup Jacquies Smith continues to impress after getting the start this week, bagging his fourth sack of the season, while Clinton McDonald notched his fourth sack of the year as well.
This group held Matt Forte in check for most of the game, holding him under 100 yards rushing and only giving up his two touchdowns thanks to extremely short fields given to the Bears by Tampa Bay turnovers.
If there's anything for Bucs fans to be optimistic about, it's the progress of their pass rush over the past two weeks.
Grade: B+
Linebacker
6 of 10
Despite the absence of All-Pro Lavonte David, Tampa Bay's linebackers played at a fairly high level this week.
Mason Foster led the team with eight tackles, while Danny Lansanah—who got the start on the weak side in place of the injured David—posted seven stops of his own. This group helped hold Matt Forte to under 100 yards rushing, while doing a far better job of collapsing and making tackles in the passing game than they did last week.
Resting arguably their best defensive player and still getting an impressive outing from this unit? That's a win for Tampa Bay.
Grade: B+
Secondary
7 of 10
This group played well last week, and they continued that trend Sunday, helped by the return of cornerback Alterraun Verner to the starting lineup.
Despite a formidable group of weapons in the passing game, the Bucs kept the big plays to a minimum, holding Jay Cutler to just 130 yards through the air. Cutler's only scoring toss came on a one-yard throw to Alshon Jeffery, and tight end Martellus Bennett led the Bears with just four catches for 37 yards.
Johnthan Banks and Bradley McDougald made fantastic tackles in key situations, Verner had a key pass deflection on an early third-down attempt, and Major Wright made back-to-back big plays with a sack and a key stop on Matt Forte, fighting off a block and forcing him out of bounds short of a first down.
Tampa Bay's defense played an impressive game from start to finish, and the defensive backfield did its part.
Grade: B+
Special Teams
8 of 10
Yet again, special teams were a source of frustration for Bucs fans this week, outside of another reliable performance from rookie kicker Patrick Murray.
Murray connected on both of his field-goal attempts despite the wet conditions, and the coverage units held Chicago's return specialists in check, but that's where the positives ended for this group.
Michael Koenen's inconsistent play continues, as his performance ranged from an 18-yard shank to a long of 53 yards. In the return game, Marcus Thigpen muffed yet another punt, but he was fortunate enough to recover it and preserve possession.
This group isn't immune to the team's overall problems with penalties, as a roughing-the-kicker call on William Gholston turned a change of possession into a first down for the Bears.
If there are any position coaches on the hot seat at One Buc Place this offseason, Kevin O'Dea could very well be one of them if this group doesn't improve over the last five weeks of the season.
Grade: D+
Coaching
9 of 10
Lovie Smith's return to Chicago was the top storyline heading into this game, but he didn't exactly give his best showing in front of his former home fans.
Penalties continue to pile up for the Bucs, who lead the league in that category, reflecting poor discipline on the part of the coaching staff. Though Tampa Bay took a 10-0 lead into the half, the Bears made the halftime adjustments necessary to make a comeback, while the Bucs came out flat and allowed 21 unanswered points in the third quarter.
Smith's clock management in the game's final minutes was questionable at best, taking too much time at certain points, rushing into a quarterback sneak on 4th-and-inches and a poor decision to challenge a call that cost the Bucs one of their precious remaining timeouts.
There was plenty of blame to go around on Sunday, but a healthy portion rests on Smith's shoulders.
Grade: F
Final Grades
10 of 10
In the first half, it looked like the Bucs were building on the momentum from last week's win and were headed for their first winning streak of the season.
But costly turnovers and poor coaching unraveled Tampa Bay's chances in the second half, and they handed Chicago the game on a silver platter. Josh McCown looked like the early-season version, while Lovie Smith was bested by the second-half adjustments made by Marc Trestman.
The Bucs may still be technically in the running for an NFC South title, but Sunday was just another example of how far this team really is from being a legitimate contender. The defense keeps this grade out of the gutter, but it was a wasted effort.
Grade: D+
All stats courtesy of NFL.com
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